Checkmate
by Oldest Soul
Summary: Years ago, Shikamaru made a promise to his dying sensei, and now the time has come to fulfill this promise. But when Shikamaru fails to protect the king, Asuma's daughter is backed into a tight corner, struggling against herself. T for cussing and possibly violence... some ShikaTema.
1. Sensei

**hey guys, it's oldsoul! this is my first upload on this account (I have another account but it was getting a bit cluttered so I started a new one) anyway, this fic takes place a good few years after the 4th Great War, in a time where Naruto's generation is now responsible for the future of Kohona. I haven't really finished the outline for the story, so please don't hesitate to share your suggestions with me, I will be happy to consider them! anyway, please enjoy and please review!**

"You liar!" a shriek cut across the schoolyard, "Take that back or I'll split your brains out!"

"I'd like to see you try, pea-brain!"

"Maybe I will, bitch woman!"

Good god, what had Nara Shikamaru dragged himself into this time?! Although he had to give it to these two, the nicknames were particularly fitting; one specializing in plant-type genjutsu, the other bonded to an elite ninja hound.

This was going to be more troublesome than he'd originally thought. Than he'd originally planned for. At least he wouldn't have to take the both of them on at once. Just the pea-brain. Then again, he _had_ asked for this, ever since he was a chuinin. Tsunade-sama had seen no reason to disagree.

He remembered, two weeks ago being called into her office. There were three other people already there: Lee, Tenten, and Hinata. They all turned to look at him as he entered, save the Hokage who was busy scribbling in a scroll.

"Shikamaru, you're late." She was mildly irritated.

"My apologies, Hokage-sama, but I was helping Kurenai-sensei and got distracted." He bowed.

With a noncommittal grunt, he was let off the hook and fell into line with his fellow jonin. Tsunade finished the sentence she was writing, rolled up the scroll, and handed it to the ever-present Shizune at her side.

"Take this to the communications center. It's just the usual status report to the feudal lord; they know which bird is his."

Shizune murmured her consent and exited the office, and Tsunade now turned her attention to her subordinates. Never having been one to mince words, she dove right into the heart of the matter.

"I have decided, upon observation and personal knowledge, that the four of you are ready to become active jonin sensei."

There was a collective blink, and then a pause as this information was digested. Then, "Hokage-sama, you…really think we're ready?"

"If I didn't think you were ready, Hinata, I would not have called you in here in the first place."

Lee, having comprehended that _he_, Rock Lee, was going to become a sensei to a group of three little darlings, burst into tears of pure, raw emotion. Shikamaru already felt sorry for the group of genin doomed to fall victim the eccentric ways of the resident enthusiast. "I shall strive to give the best and only the best to my students! I shall laugh with them, weep with them, and die with them! I shall –"

"Thank you, Lee, for your enthusiasm," Tsunade interrupted dryly, "But wouldn't you like to know who you're teaching first?"

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama," Tenten leaped in without allowing Lee to answer, she was on a tight string today after losing a spar with a mere chuinin, "But I'd like to ask why you only picked us four…"

"And not the other jonin from your graduating class?" Tsunade finished. Tenten nodded.

"Well, although Sakura has a good attitude, and would no doubt make as fine a sensei as myself, she is still training under me, it would not do to cut short that education so she can monitor a couple of genin. And Sai is away on a long-term mission; I don't expect him back until October. And besides, it's not a great idea to have too many novice sensei – usually there's only one or two. Four is pushing it." Tsunade looked at her four jonin, the slightest hint of that Tsunade smirk touching her face. "Now, are you ready to receive your squad assignments?"

Lee took the bait. "YYYEEEEAAAHHHH! I shall teach them with the power of my youth!"

Shikamaru sighed. That man was too much like Guy.

Who was he kidding? Lee was _exactly _like Guy.

"Good," the Hokage's voice was business like, though Shikamaru could see her trying to suppress the laugh twitching at her mouth. She proceeded to give each of the four their assigned squads and her own personal advice, which Shikamaru was careful to take into consideration.

"Lee, here are yours. That kid with the brown hair is one I think you'll do well with. Came in dead last in the academy assessments, but Iruka tells me he likes to kick things. The other two have proven themselves about average. Make sure they don't look down on him as being inferior." She handed him three profile cards and he took them proudly.

"Fear not, my lady! I shall guide them to greatness through the flowers of springtime youth!"

"Tenten!"

"Yes, my lady!" She, too, was a lot like Guy, Shikamaru observed, albeit in less obvious ways.

"I'm giving you the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Remember that teamwork is an important attribute to these squads. Make sure to emphasize that during their training."

"I'll keep that in mind." Tenten assured her, looking over the profile cards of her team.

"Hinata!"

"I'm ready, Hokage-sama!" Hinata stepped forward and bowed.

"Hinata," Tsunade's voice softened a little, "You've come a long way from that shy little girl in the corner you used to be. Still, this Inuzuka is a wild one. Make sure you don't let her intimidate you."

Shikamaru thought he understood. This, also, was a lesson for Hinata, to help her stand up for herself.

"I may not have an intimidating demeanor," Hinata replied firmly, though quietly, "But I can take care of myself, Tsunade-sama, and a twelve-year-old genin isn't enough to get the best of me."

"I should hope not." Tsunade smiled, then turned to Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru!"

He took the profile cards she held out to him and quickly scanned them. Yup, there she was.

"I'm sure you already know what a ruckus that girl can cause." The Hokage remarked with a small sigh.

He grinned, "Yeah."

"Then I wish all of you good luck in your journeys as jonin sensei of. Make those kids into ninja that will do Kohona proud!"

"Ma'am!" The four of them saluted in unison as Tsunade stood.

"Where did Shizune get off to? I need her assistance!"

"Um…Hokage-sama…I think you send Shizune-san off with a message to the feudal lord." Hinata reminded her.

"Ah yes, that's right…SHIZUNE!"

Now Shikamaru glanced at his fellow jonin sensei. As well as the first timers, there were also Anko, Genma, and Kurenai among others. He gave a quick nod to Kurenai, who winked and wished him good luck, as he was going to need it. Yeah. He'd learned from Naruto that one pea-brain alone could prove a handful of its own class.

**well? what did you think? :D please review!**


	2. Squad Twelve

**hiya, it's me, back so soon with another chapter! I hope you enjoy it!**

"Squad Ten." Genma's senbon stuck out the side of his mouth as he called out, glancing over the genin that had been lined up outside the academy. Three of them broke forward from the line and ran towards their new sensei, coming to full attention before him. Shikamaru looked them over. There was a Hyuga girl, a small boy with a determined expression, and another boy who tried valiently to look bored, despite his feet jittering in excitement.

"Squad Eleven." Tenten was next, met by Ino's cousin Inoki, a relative of Shikamaru's named Shikarashi, and an Akimichi he didn't recognize.

Now it was his turn.

"Squad Twelve." He scanned the faces, picking out the three that were on the profile cards. First was an Aburame. Aburame Hiro, the profile said. The dark glasses, scruffy reddish-brown hair, and white coat were a reasonable confirmation of the kid's heritage. He was followed by another boy; lanky, dark-haired, and solemn. He didn't seem to belong to any one particular clan, but according to his card, he was Okasagi Naoki. Hands in pockets, his eyes darted around quickly from one person to another, observing everything. And then there was Sarutobi Kana. Shikamaru didn't have to look at her card to know her name – he'd been watching her her whole life. And he knew that she was as wild, cocky, and rambunctious as one girl could be. Dutifully, he noted that she'd been placed on the opposite end of the line from Inuzuka Akira and her dog, Tazuko. Judging from the argument he'd heard earlier, it was probably a wise decision.

With her unruly brown hair and unique reddish eyes, Kana was the spitting image of her mother, Yuuhi Kurenai. But there were other, subtler traits about her that reminded Shikamaru more of his own sensei; the stature, the grin, the way she threw her kunai, these were all Asuma's. Kurenai had also elected to give her daughter her father's surname, rather than the clan name Yuuhi. Fate had seen fit to give Kana both her mother's gift for plant genjutsu (hence her nickname pea-brain), and her father's skill in ninjutsu, making her somewhat of a prodigy at the academy. Unfortunately, her ego wasn't far behind her justu, both being on the high end of the scale.

Now, the three genin stood looking up at Shikamaru expectantly. From somewhere on his right, Hinata's voice asked for squad thirteen.

"Well," Shikamaru began, not really sure how to go about this, "I have first dibs on the kunai training base in the forest, so let's go." _That's where I'll test you._ He added mentally.

"So I guess I have to call you Shikamaru-sensei now, huh?" Kana asked coolly as they set off into the forest, pushing off tree limbs. Shikamaru was amazed at how much he had to slow up so the kids could keep up with him. He could barely remember a time when moving through the forest wasn't second nature to him, but these three were fresh out of the academy; it would be a while before they were strong enough to go as fast and far as he could.

"Guess so, Kana-chan."

"You mean…you knew him already?" a slightly nasally voice asked.

"Hiro," Kana replied, feigning exasperation, "His sensei was my father. Of _course_ I knew him already."

"…Oh."

The fourth member of the squad maintained a quiet silence, though Shikamaru could feel the temperament of the boy's chakra. It was a calm, humming sort of type, and out of curiosity, he furthered his senses to include the chakra of the other two. Kana's was spiky and vibrant, no surprise there, and Hiro's seemed a bit uncertain as to what sort of mood it was in, content to just sort of blob and spike all over his body, without any apparent pattern. Naoki's eyes flicked up to meet Shikamaru's – he'd felt the contact, which meant he was a sensory type.

_An interesting combination, Tsunade-sama_.

Without warning, Shikmaru dropped below the canopy of trees; they'd reached the kunai training base. His students followed suit, landing a little less gracefully, but sticking the landing, all the same.

"Right," Shikamaru began. His ultimate goal was really just to test their abilities, and see where they stood. "It's a game of tag. If any one of you lands a hit on me, I'll buy you all a bowl of ramen. If no-one lands a hit, all of you go back to the academy. A hit equals drawing blood. Anywhere within a half-mile radius from this spot is fair game. You have one hour. Any questions?"

"Are weapons allowed?" Kana asked.

"Anything is allowed." He answered. Then added quickly, "Within reason, of course. Don't go pulling illegal jutsu on me. That would be troublesome. Any more questions?"

When none were forthcoming, Shikamaru announced, "Begin!" and disappeared. If he was lucky, they'd figure out teamwork. If they didn't, it would be no big loss, just a tad disappointing. And a bit troublesome, seeing as he'd have to teach it to them. If they didn't have an instinct for teamwork, they probably wouldn't catch on to it very quickly.

Once he figured he'd reached a safe enough distance from the starting point, Shikamaru stopped on a tree limb and sensed around for the others' chakra.

"Don't even bother, Hiro." He told the boy behind him, having already captured the child in his Shadow Possession Jutsu. Smart of the kid, to place a beetle on him even before he'd finished explaining the test, but Shikamaru, knowing full well the Kekkei Genkai of the Aburame clan, had been on the lookout for suspicious looking bugs, and had removed the beetle from his shoe a few seconds prior to ensnaring its director.

He quickly activated his Shadow Bind Jutsu – one of his more recent developments. It was useful in that he didn't actually need to be connected to the shadow of his opponent to maintain the jutsu, only to activate it. Although Shadow Bind had a limited time span, it was enough to allow Shikamaru to get far enough away from Hiro to be safe from any subsequent attacks.

The next one came from Naoki – sending a paperbomb attached to a kunai into a tree by Shikamaru's ear. He was forced to leap back to avoid the explosion that followed – straight into a paper-bomb seal barrier. He counted four paper bombs in all. If he stepped outside the invisible box he'd stumbled into, he'd be blown to bits. This one was smart.

Not wasting any time, Shikamaru released Hiro from the Shadow Bind, then stretched his shadow to connect to the shadow of a tree one of the bombs was pasted on, then using Shadow Stitching to poke a hole through the paperbomb, rendering it useless. He dismantled the other three in a similar manner, then safely vaulted out of the space he'd just occupied. He hurried away, hoping to get out of range of Naoki's sensory jutsu. When he thought he was far enough, he knelt and too out one of his earrings, imbuing it with a little bit of his chakra and leaving it there on the tree branch. It wouldn't have fooled a jonin level sensory ninja, but it was probably enough to throw a genin for a loop.

Shikamaru checked the time. There were still thirty minutes left, and there was still one person he hadn't heard a peep out of. He didn't have to wait long.

Bending down, Shikamaru cupped his fingers under a small purple flower.

"Kana-chan." He said aloud, "You've given yourself away. Guess you forgot that my clan specializes in medicinal herbs, and this one doesn't grow in this forest."

The plant shot up, going straight for Shikamaru's throat. He held two fingers up to his chest.

"Release."

The flower and much of the forest melted away. In front of him, Kana was perched on a thick branch, kunai in hand.

"Once you've been busted, it's useless to try and continue the genjutsu." Shikamaru pointed out, "And you don't really want to face a jonin in straight combat, do you?"

"I just have to scratch you." Kana replied, as if this would be easy. He easily parried her kunai, catching her in his Shadow Possession before she knew it, trapping her in the same Shadow Bind he'd done to Hiro.

Over the course of the next twenty minutes or so, Shikamaru spent his time dodging various attacks and releasing various genjutsu, all the while getting a feel for each one's fighting style and personal attributes.

Kana's genjutsu was surprisingly convincing, the only problem being careless errors such as the first one. She was somewhat lacking in the smarts department, however, unable to plan ahead and set traps in advance.

But traps and planning were where Naoki excelled, and he frequently managed to get Shikamaru ensnared in one of these various traps, only to have it foiled within a few minutes. His brain was pretty good, but his ninjutsu was a little weak, and he'd quickly fallen for the chakra-imbued earring that Shikamaru had laid as a decoy.

Hiro was somewhere in between these two. He seemed to have adequate control over his beetles, and could usually learn a thing or two from his failed attempts to assault his Sensei. His best quality though, was his stamina. The boy could probably go on for hours without tiring too much. Shikamaru didn't know how to explain it, other than by saying that Hiro just had a lot of energy. His physical strength was lacking, and he had an average amount of chakra…come to think of it, Shikamaru had never seen Shino looking very strained either. So maybe it was an Aburame thing…

Shikamaru was beginning to see why Tsunade had chosen to team these tree up. Needless to say, he had not been so lucky as to have them discover the wonders of teamwork. They also hadn't drawn blood, either, but he figured they were decent genin and probably deserved some ramen anyway.

**okay hope u enjoyed. I am going to bed now goodnight :3**

**- oldsoul out. **


	3. The Chakra Quiz

**hiya guys, here is chapter three!**

**in retrospect, the ending to chapter 2 seemed a little rushed to me...I apologize, but I'm too lazy to go and fix it.**

**well, enjoy chapter 3 and please review!**

"Hold these." Shikamaru ordered, handing each of his students a slip of paper.

"What's it for?" Hiro asked, turning his over and over in an attempt to discover any secret message that had been written on it.

"It's chakra paper." He explained, "It'll tell us the nature of your chakra. Once we get your chakra nature, we can work on some jutsu that's specific to each of your styles alone."

"You mean not everyone has the same type of chakra?" Hiro asked, his nasally voice tinted with amazement.

Of course, Shikamaru _would_ forget to explain the fundamentals of the exercise. He'd assumed they already knew about chakra natures, but apparently, this was not the case. He knelt down and drew a five circles in a circle. The kids crowded around to watch.

"There are five types of chakra natures." He began, "Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water. It's important to remember that they are _not _all equal. Every nature is superior to one, and inferior to another." He pointed to the Fire, Water, and Wind circles, "The order goes clockwise. See here how Fire is superior to Wind, but inferior to Water. But just because someone has the natural advantage doesn't mean they will automatically win the fight." he cautioned, "Any advantage can easily be overruled if the opponent is significantly stronger."

"But how will the chakra paper know what type you are?" Kana asked, running her fingers over her paper skeptically. Shikamaru took another piece for himself.

"Let a little of your chakra flow into the paper, and it'll act accordingly. If the paper ignites, you're a Fire type. If it rips, you're Wind. For Lightning it will wrinkle, Earth it will crumble, and Water it will turn soggy." He held the paper between his index and middle fingers, demonstrating. "Just direct the flow of chakra to your fingers, then transfer it into the paper, like so." He performed as he spoke, and soundlessly, the chakra paper turned to dust.

"So you're an Earth type chakra?" Hiro questioned. Shikamaru nodded, then pulled out another slip of chakra paper. As before, his chakra bled into the paper, and this time, it split down the middle.

"Wait a minute!" Kana yelled, "I thought you said ripping meant a Wind type, but you just proved you were an Earth type! What kind of cheap trick are you pulling, Sensei?!"

"By the time a ninja has reached jonin level," Shikamaru chuckled, "They've usually mastered at least two chakra natures. I just happened to have an affinity for Wind style. Which," he couldn't resist adding, "Is the rarest of chakra types."

"So then," a quiet voice asked, "Is it possible to master all five?" Naoki didn't do a lot of talking, but when he chose to speak it was usually good to listen to what he had to say.

"The only person ever to have done that without the aid of a Kekkei Genkai," Shikamaru replied warily, "Was my sensei's father, the Third Hokage. Several people have come close, though. Hatake Kakashi, for example, is proficient in all types except the Wind style. Also, Tsunade-sama's student Haruno Sakura is currently working on mastery of Fire style; she's already got Water and Earth down."

"I want to see what I am!" Hiro broke in abruptly, holding his paper out in front of him. His face contorted in concentration as he poured his chakra into the small slip of paper, exclaiming a triumphant "Aha!" as it drooped, heavy with water.

"A Water type." Shikamaru observed, stating the obvious.

"Me next!" Kana announced excitedly, holding out her own paper. A moment later, it had crumbled away. No big surprise there - that was expected from a plant genjutsu user. "Ha! My Earth chakra is superior to your Water chakra, Beetle Boy!"

"Not if my ninjutsu is stronger." Said Beetle Boy reminded her, albeit a little put-off about her predetermined benefit.

Shikamaru now turned to his third and final student, who displayed his wrinkled paper, having already determined his chakra nature; Lightning. Hiro waggled his eyebrows at Kana.

"And _his_ chakra beats yours."

"No-one asked you, Beetle Boy, but I bet the Third's awesomeness runs in the family!" Kana smirked, "I'll be the first genin to ever master all five chakra natures! Then I'll be better than _all _of you. You too, Shikamaru-sensei!"

"Don't bet on it." Hiro sniffed dismissively, "You should set more realistic goals. Like mastering _one_ chakra nature as a genin."

"Look, Beetle Boy!" Kana snarled, "I'm ten times the ninja either of you dolts will ever be, so you and Dumbo over there should just focus on trying not to trip when you're following me!"

"I'm not dumb." Naoki broke in calmly, "In either sense of the word. And I think we can call you Pea-brained, Mouthy _and_ Stupid."

"That's the most ridiculous name I've ever heard!" Kana snapped, "Even Bitch Woman could do better than that!"

"Then," Naoki smirked, "Would you prefer we shortened it to PMS?" which, Shikamaru supposed, was what he'd been going for in the first place. How troublesome. Kana was spluttering and beginning to go red in the face, so he figured it was about time for him to intervene.

"Why you dirty-minded little bastard!" She exploded, comprehending at once. Hiro, on the other hand, looked slightly bewildered, an observation that caused Shikamaru some slight amusement. At least one of his students was still innocent. As Kana lunged at her teammate, she was forced into a fixed position as Shikamaru's jutsu took effect. Likewise, the boys were similarly restrained as he brought the three of them into a fairly relaxed standing position.

"Now," Shikamaru began authoritatively, "Can any of you tell me what the most important word to a ninja is?" he loosened his hold on them a little, so they could speak freely.

"Beetles!" Hiro volunteered.

"Maybe for an Aburame, but I'm talking _all_ shinobi."

"Strength." Kana offered sulkily.

"Strength is important," Shikamaru acknowledged, "But it's not what I'm looking for."

Three pairs of eyes turned to Naoki expectantly.

"Brains." He muttered. Shikamaru sighed.

"Again, necessary but wrong. Come on guys, you should have learned this in the academy."

There remained a stubborn silence. He relented.

"It's _teamwork_, guys, _teamwork_. That's the most important word to a shinobi. If you can't rely on your comrades, you're as good as dead, do you understand." He knew that this was something that would have to be kneaded, pinched, and pulled into existence by experience – it wasn't something that could be pounded into their heads like a mathematical formula. It required time, patience, and maturity.

Jeez, this sensei stuff was unexpectedly troublesome.

**did u like? tell me what u think!**

**-oldsoul**

**oh ps I don't own the cover image :[**


	4. Hapless-Victim-Volunteer Position: Open

"No, Hiro!" Shikamaru corrected impatiently, "You have to _wait_ until the victim is already captured in the genjutsu before you send in the beetles!"

"That's right," Kana felt the need to add, "Or I'll put _you_ in the genjutsu and we'll see how well your bugs do against insecticide."

"Only the most powerful of genjutsu can affect _me_." Hiro informed her smugly, "The brain of a beetle is so simple that any change to its surroundings has little effect on it, and through it, me."

"Simple brain." She muttered, "Like yours."

"PMS," Naoki scowled, "Will you shut it already and get going? We've all heard enough out of you. Just don't try to act smart and maybe we'll all survive this exercise." He was cranky, Shikamaru supposed, from being the first to run out of chakra. He was sitting down and recuperating at the moment, glaring, and for the most part, sulking in silence."

"I told you not to call me that!" Kana snarled, "And if you're so smart, maybe you'll remember to pull that oversized head of yours out of your ass!"

"Enough." Shikamaru sighed. This was too troublesome. He, too, was tired - from keeping the three genin from ripping each other's throats out all day. "Try again. You have to pay attention to your partner. Work _with _them. Remember who the enemy is."

The enemy in this instance was a man who was, at the moment, smirking at Shikamaru without an ounce of sympathy. His bright yellow hair stuck out at all angles through the top of his forehead protector – he probably hadn't brushed it in a week.

"Come on, Hiro-chan, Kana-chan, Naoki-chan, just admit that there's no way you'll ever beat the mighty Orange Hokage. Grandma Tsunade probably should have made _me_ your sensei instead of that lazy-ass Shikamaru."

Well, it's not like he'd _asked_ for Naruto specifically – he'd just happened to be the only willing volunteer that'd been around at that particular moment. Furthermore, he was one of the few ninja who had problems dispelling a genjutsu, which was a desirable trait to have in an enemy when one of your strengths was in genjutsu.

Unfortunately, Naruto was proving to be more troublesome than the situation called for.

"Narutooo…" Shikamaru growled threateningly, "You start with that condescending tone one more time and I won't buy you that Ichi Raku you wanted as payment for your services."

"Yeah yeah I get it. Man, you're no fun at all, Shika-chan. Lighten up! Remember when we used to cut Iruka-sensei's class when we were little kids? Go exploring and stuff."

_Shika-chan?!_ He was already planning the Orange Hokage's demise. All Shikamaru would have to do would be to capture him with Shadow Posession and ricochet a kunai off that lamppost there…Naruto would be a dead man.

"Try again." He muttered to his genin, "This time, I'm helping." He lowered his voice so Naruto wouldn't be able to hear. "Right. When I get him with Shadow Posession, Kana, you activate the genjutsu. Once he's totally absorbed in the genjutsu, Hiro, attack with your beetles. Got that?"

Both nodded their consent and Shikamaru began building up his chakra in preparation for his jutsu.

That's when Naruto disappeared. Shikamaru immediately pivoted on the spot – your back was always the first place to watch when you couldn't see the enemy.

He appeared a little to the left of Shikamaru in a flash of yellow hair and orange clothing, grinning like the idiot he was.

"Hey!" Shikamaru glared, "No advanced jutsu, remember?! That includes the Thunder God Jutsu."

Naruto was saved from replying as he became preoccupied with the swarm of flying insects that rushed at him, out of turn.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and counted to ten.

"I want you three to go off to separate places and practice any of your jutsu for an hour. After that, do whatever you want. We're finished for today." He pulled out a couple thousand in paper and handed it to Naruto. "Go get your own ramen; I'm not hungry."

He walked the main road that ran through Kohona, listening to the bustle of the shops that lined the street. There was the Kohona Nin Outfitter, where they sold all types of ninja tools, clothing, and guidebooks. The Yamanaka Flower Shop, where Ino worked on weekends and Thursdays. The Inuzuka Veterinary Clinic, where through the window, Kiba's older sister Hana seemed to be looking into the ears of a struggling ninja cat. After that was the hospital; a huge brick building that he'd been in more times than he cared to remember, though most of those had been to visit other people. Then there were just rows and rows of residential apartments and houses, and at the end of it all, the Hokage Tower, where Tsunade spent her days holed up in an office twenty-four seven. He wondered if she slept in there.

It was a beautiful spring day, he observed. The sky was clear and the temperature was not too hot, not too cold. He watched as two barn swallows chased each other, diving at breakneck speed until the chased stopped, turned around, and became the chaser. Kind of like some humans he knew, Shikamaru thought dryly.

Normally, this mentoring thing was something Shikamaru would talk to his father or Asuma-sensei about; they always knew the right thing to say. Unfortunately, both of those options were unavailable, so Shikamaru sensed around for the next best thing.

He found him sitting on a rooftop overlooking Kohona.

"I don't suppose you are here because you just happened to pick the same rooftop that I did." Kakashi remarked with a hint of amusement, his voice somewhat muffled by the copy of _Icha Icha Paradise _his nose was buried in. "So what can I do for you, Shikamaru-kun?"

"I…I was wondering if you, ah, wanted to play a game of shogi with me." Shikamaru said uncertainly. There followed a period of silence while the older jonin finished his page, and when he finally took the damn book down from his face, he seemed to be smiling under the mask, as his bottom eyelid rose slightly.

"Remind me of the rules. I haven't played in a while."


	5. Shogi

**I AM SUCH AN IDIOT! all this time I've been calling it Kohona when it's actually Konoha. XP am I dyslexic or something I don't even know ;n;**

**oh, just so you guys know, I finally figured out where I am going with this story so I will be changing around the title and summery a bit after I post this chapter. hope u don't mind...**

**well anyway, here is chapter 5 with konoha spelled correctly. it was fun to write so I hope you enjoy it! don't forget to review!**

"Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Kakashi finally asked. They were a good ways into the game, and Shikamaru liked to think he was winning, though it was hard to tell.

"Well…" Shikamaru said slowly, twirling a knight in his fingers as he contemplated whether to take Kakashi's right pawn or left pawn, "What was it like when you first met Team Seven?"

"Genin problems?" The Copy Ninja guessed. Shikamaru nodded, deciding to capture the right pawn.

"They're always at each other's jugulars. They'd be a good team if they only tried," He sighed, "But each of them thinks they're better than the other two, and are constantly trying to prove it by going against each other."

Kakashi nodded knowledgably. "That was a lot like how it was with my team. It never even occurred to Naruto to try and work with the other two. The only words he could comprehend were 'Hokage' and 'ramen'. Ultimately an absentminded idiot, he fell for every trap and it was rather frustrating at times." He paused to place his castle three spaces higher, where it would be easy prey for Shikamaru's queen. The younger jonin knew better than to take the bait.

"Sasuke was the picture of arrogance, always looking down on the rest of us, including me. It's in his nature to be a loner so he found the concept of teamwork more of a challenge than Naruto and Sakura. He was very hard to talk to and usually answered questions with as few words as possible."

"He still is." Shikamaru muttered, thinking back to the last time he'd seen the dark-eyed Uchiha. Not quite a rogue ninja and not quite a Konoha shinobi either, Sasuke preferred to spend most of his time who-knew-where outside of Konoha, though he was welcome in the village when he felt so inclined to stop by. After his shady past, it would have been blasphemy to make him a true Konoha nin – the other villages never would have stood for it, and Shikamaru got the feeling that occupation wouldn't have appealed to Sasuke anyway.

"Sakura," Kakashi went on as he studied the board, "Had a one track mind. She's a smart girl. She would have progressed faster if she hadn't been so caught up in her obsession with Sasuke. I was never really able to understand women but let me tell you, it was…troublesome." He finished, borrowing Shikamaru's favorite word.

"Check." Shikamaru announced, forcing Kakashi to move his pawn out of the way of his knight in order to capture Shikamaru's pawn to protect his king. "So, what's the secret? How do you get three twelve-year-olds who hate each other to work together?"

Kakashi laughed as his knight was brought down, "Shikamaru-kun, you know better than to ask _me_ for easy answers. This is as much of a test for you as it is for them. Although," he added, "Personally, I've found that hands-on experience works better than any pep talk."

Shikamaru replied with a noncommittal "Hm…" as he digested Kakashi's words. The two were silent for a few minutes as the game progressed. Slowly, an inkling of an idea began to come to Shikamaru. It was not about shogi.

"I think this one's a stalemate." Kakashi finally declared. Both had their kings, Kakashi had a bishop, and Shikamaru had his queen. It was clear that neither of them was going to get the better of the other anytime soon, so Shikamaru nodded, folding up the board and sticking it inside his flak jacket. He gathered up the pieces and shoved them into various pockets that were meant for kunai and scrolls and the like. As he untangled Kakashi's bishop from his ball of wire, he twirled the small wooden piece over in his fingers.

"I think," Shikamaru said thoughtfully, "That if you were a shogi piece, you'd be the bishop."

"Oh yeah?" Kakashi asked mildly, "Why's that?"

"Well, you like to attack when your enemy has already dismissed you as a threat. In the case of the bishop, when you're all the way across the board. You're a shrewd opponent and a quick thinker," He went on, remembering previous missions he'd been on with the famed Copy Ninja, "But you only think in one direction when you form a plan – you don't allow room for mishaps, in case the operation doesn't go the way you expected, in the sense that the bishop only moves in a straight line. Also, you support the king and queen from behind the scenes. Both the Hokage and underlings like me come to you for advice when we need it."

"Very observant of you to pick out my weakness so quickly." Kakashi sounded fairly impressed, "You're more like Shikaku every day, you know that? He'd be proud of you."

Shikamaru blinked at the unexpected reference to his father, and by the time he'd opened his mouth to say 'thank you,' Kakashi was already gone, taking _Ichi Ichi Paradise _with him.

….

"_No!_" Tsunade banged her fist on her desk, causing several of the stacked papers on it to flutter to the floor where Shizune hurried to pick them up. "Absolutely not! It's too dangerous!"

God, what was that boy _thinking_?!

"Hokage-sama, hear me out." Shikamaru pleaded, "I'm just trying to be a good sensei!"

"Shikamaru-kun," Shizune admonished in a softer voice as she reestablished the stacks on Tsunade's desk "It's against Konoha law to send genin on a B-rank mission. You know that."

"Oink!" Tonton added her two cents decisively.

"And there is a _reason_ it's against the law, Shikamaru!" Tsunade continued, "Twelve-year-old genin will _die_ on that kind of mission. Have you forgotten your promise to Asuma!"

"No! Never!" Shikamaru retorted, "I'm trying to do the best for my students! They need to learn teamwork and I don't know any other way to teach it to them! Kakashi-sensei said –"

"So it was Kakashi!" Tsunade hissed. Of course. "That's who put such an idea into your head. Damn him!"

"Kakashi-sensei said that his team learned best from experience." Shikamaru went on, despite the interruption. "If they never learn to work together then they won't be successful as a team!"

"If you're not careful, Nara Shikamaru," Tsunade growled, "You won't be successful as a squad leader."

"If you don't let me go I won't be successful as a squad leader!"

"Shikamaru, I understand where you're coming from," Tsunade sighed warily, "But taking three genin on a B-rank mission is out of the question."

"Tsunade-sama, when you put the three of them on a team, did you _know_ how troublesome they were going to be?!" Shikamaru asked incredulously.

"No," she admitted, really starting to get annoyed, "But when I made you their sensei, I was sure you could handle it."

"I am handling it!" he yelled, throwing up his arms, "Logically, they should be forced to work together under a stressful situation! That stressful situation needs to be the equivalent level of difficulty as a B-rank mission!"

"You're going to endanger the lives of your students just to make your life easier?! Maybe you aren't even fit to be a jonin, let alone a sensei!"

"Do you think this was an easy decision?" Shikamaru asked in a quieter voice, calming down somewhat, "I have faith in my genin, Hokage-sama, and I have faith in my ability to protect them. Remember, I defeated an Akatsuki member all by myself when I was a chuinin. I will not hesitate to give my life in order for them to survive."

"I still don't like this." Tsunade growled, imagining the hundreds of thousands of things that could go wrong on such a mission. Shikamaru smirked triumphantly, knowing he had won her over, if only because she was tired of arguing. Maybe her age was starting to catch up with her. "You've been hanging around Naruto too much if you can convince me to let you do such a dangerous thing."

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama." He bowed, still quite pleased with himself. Tsunade rifled through her papers for the least risky B-rank mission she could find. Ah, here. This one was an escort duty. There was only a single ninja after the escortee.

That meant it was a powerful and dangerous ninja, to be classified as B-rank.

Shikamaru could handle it.

He took Hidan down by himself as a chuinin.

Yeah.

"I'm sending Shizune with you." She decided, glancing at her student who nearly dropped Tonton in surprise. Shikamaru nodded in agreement as he quickly looked over the mission.

"You'll leave a week from today. And Shikamaru?" he looked up, "Their blood is on your hands." She said darkly.

None of them knew how much they would come to regret this.

**u know what song I have stuck in my head right now? Under The Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. lonely as I am / together we cry...**

**kakashi darling ily so much ^w^**

**-oldsoul**


	6. The Funniest Packages

**hey guys, here's chapter 6. it's rather uneventful and short, so I apologize, but it's necessary to get us from one interesting happening to another. **

**also, i'm working on a drawing that will become the new cover image for this story, and i'm hoping to have it done in a couple days :D**

**well, enjoy chapter 6 and please review!**

"A B-rank mission! Cool!" Kana shrieked, "I knew we were better than all the other genin! I knew it! This'll show them!"

"Are you sure we're ready for this?" Hiro asked, looking up at his sensei.

"If I wasn't, would I have begged Tsunade-sama to let us go?" Shikamaru grinned.

Naoki looked on silently, taking everything in; Shizune biting her lip, Shikamaru's hands that were never still…he knew there was more than his team's natural prodigious prowess involved with this mission.

"We should get going." Shizune announced, looking at the height of the sun. "We're supposed to meet the client at noon at a pub a little ways off the road."

"Yeah." Shikamaru agreed, picking up his pack. "We should probably try to get there a little early. It makes a good first impression."

For once, the genin had stopped bickering. For the most part, Kana and Hiro chattered loudly about the sheer number of enemies they would be taking down, with Naoki occasionally tossing in a word or two.

Shizune, on the other hand, seemed determined to pick a fight with Shikamaru.

"B-rank mission." She muttered, glaring mercilessly, "You'll get us all killed."

"Aw, lighten up, Shizune-san." He handed her a piece of jerky to placate her. "Here, have some food."

….

"Children?! They sent me _children?!_ Do you realize the severity of my situation?! I am transporting a valuable artifact. I need real ninja, not children!"

"I assure you, sir," Shikamaru said coolly, "These _children_ are fully-fledged ninja. Additionally, Shizune-san and I are jonin – high level shinobi. Normally you'd get a single jonin or a couple of chunin for this mission. To have five ninja protecting you for the same price is a good deal."

"We'll protect you from anyone who's after you, Watanabe-san!" Hiro announced eagerly. He was not very convincing, with his nasally voice, scrawny figure, and all of four feet ten inches, being the shortest of his squad. Not for the first time, Shikamaru was reminded of the vast differences between Hiro and his fellow clan member, the mysterious and stoic Shino.

Watanabe looked down at the child disdainfully. A tall man in his early forties, he tied his dark, thin hair behind him in a short ponytail, and had an intimidating stature. He was not, to say the least, the warmest of characters.

The valuable artifact in question was something that remained a secret to the shinobi, as it was not, Watanabe told them, their business. But apparently, it was prized enough that an elite ninja was after it, for whatever reason.

Shikamaru's attention was brought back to the situation at hand by Wantanabe's accusing finger pointing at his nose.

"Watch your tone with me, young man. You're still a child yourself."

"With all due respect, Watanabe-san," Shikamaru answered through gritted teeth, "I'm not a child. I'll be twenty-one in a few months."

Watanabe's only reply was a disbelieving snort as he turned back to the box containing his precious artifact, carefully placing it in his pack.

"We should be going now." He muttered, "I'd like to reach the Land of Waterfalls by Thursday."

It was likely that they wouldn't get to their destination until Friday, but Shikamaru said nothing as they set off on the well-travelled road, knowing that with a client like this, it was going to be a long three days.

….

"So, Watanabe-san," Hiro trotted forwards to catch up to the man, having to take two strides for every one of his. "Do you have any family?"

"It's none of your business," he sniffed, "But my wife is dead and I haven't seen my son for two years. He walked out on me after we had…a disagreement."

"Oh…I'm sorry." Hiro offered as sympathetically as one socially-awkward preteen could.

"For what?" Watanabe asked.

And that was the entirety of the conversation that took place between the client and the shinobi on day one.

….

"We can camp here for tonight." Shizune declared. They were on a solitary stretch of road that went through a forest, several miles from a village in any direction.

"No." Watanabe shook his head, "We're going until we reach the next village. We'll sleep there."

"Unless you want to go on alone." Shizune told him coldly, "I suggest you start setting up."

Shikamaru worked hard to hide his smirk as Watanabe glared at her for a moment before giving in. Shizune was a real terror when she wanted to be.

"Do you like miso soup?" Hiro asked as they sat around the fire Naoki had built, boiling water for the instant miso soup. He'd been persistent in his efforts to be friendly with Watanabe, despite having met with little success thus far. "I like Miso soup." He went on when there was no response, "The beetles like it, too."

"Do you ever shut up about those damn bugs?" Kana wondered aloud.

"He's incapable of thinking about anything else." Naoki supplied in answer, "I think his brain is shaped like a beetle."

The boy could have a rather crude sense of humor, Shikamaru had noticed, thinking of the nickname he'd given Kana. Hiro, to his merit, refrained from retaliating, temporarily keeping the peace within the group.

"The…beetles?" Watanabe raised an eyebrow uncertainly.

"It's my clan's kekkei genkai." Hiro explained, pouring himself a bowl of the soup as it finished cooking. "At birth, our chakra is connected with a small group of beetles, who then breed and grow in number. Since they're linked to our chakra, they're entirely under our command. And," he added proudly, "They make for exemplary offense _and_ defense. See?" he allowed a line of beetles to crawl out from inside his sleeve onto his wrist, holding them out for Watanabe to admire. The man's expression was hard to read as he glanced at the insects, and finally, he just replied with,

"You're a weird one, you know that?"

Shikamaru chucked to himself as he brought the spoon to his lips. Sometimes the best people could come in the funniest packages.

**I love hiro he is so adorably awkward X3 **

**hope you enjoyed! back soon with chapter 7!**

**-oldsoul**


	7. Wind Style Byakugan

**heya guys, I am back with chapter 7! yay! it's a bit more interesting than chapter 6 but I did not get as far along as I had hoped in this chapter. next chapter, I promise, will be super exciting!**

**oh, and i'm almost done with the drawing i'm gonna put up as the cover image - just got one little bit left to do!**

**ok please enjoy and don't forget to review!**

Days two and three passed without much excitement. They met with few people on the road, and Watanabe was as aloof as ever, though Hiro still gave all opportunities for conversation his best effort. He was determined that such a serious mission would be met with success, in whatever way, shape, or form.

Shikamaru, for his part, was starting to get slightly bothered that there had been no sign of their high-class ninja. This either meant he was going to wait until he'd thought the Konoha shinobi had completed their mission and left, or he was analyzing their individual abilities, waiting for the right moment to strike. Either way, they were bound to meet up with him. And the window of time they had until the encounter was getting narrower.

Shikamaru talked mostly to Kana and Shizune; Naoki's natural inclination to alienate himself preventing him from getting the gold star for best travel companion.  
>It was the fourth day, Friday, that the trouble arrived.<p>

The day had been going on as usual; they were on par with Shikamaru's estimated time of arrival. If you had told Kana that later that day, two members of their party would be lying on the ground half dead and one third alive she would have rolled her eyes dismissively, though Shikamaru would have reprimanded her for it – such risks were always present when one led the life of a shinobi.

As it was, they continued on obliviously until they were about an hour away from the Land of Waterfalls.

"Shizune-san," Shikamaru said in a low voice.

"I know." She replied, calm as you please.

"Naoki." Shikamaru addressed his student next. Naoki's dark purple head fell back into line with his superiors.

"Sensei?"

"I need a report. About three hundred feet at five o'clock."

Naoki nodded tightly, understanding. The boy's sensory ninjutsu was especially useful in that it was extremely inconspicuous. It constituted of Naoki dispensing chakra from his body in a cloud so thin that it was undetectable to all but the most sensitive of ninja techniques. When it came into contact with other chakra, he could gain a fair bit of information from only a small bit of the other chakra. He could also do it without any hand seals or gestures, so no one could even tell he was sensing unless they knew.

"It's pretty powerful chakra." He reported after a few moments, "Big guy, too… All his weapons have been imbued with chakra at one point or another…he's a Water style user…and there are also traces of Wind chakra…that's all I can tell."

"Good enough." Shizune nodded. "Shikamaru? Got any strategies?"

"Yeah, I'm working on it." He replied, the gears in his mind beginning to turn. If they could sense the enemy now, and they hadn't before, then that meant that the ninja had either gotten careless, _wanted_ to be noticed, or was getting ready to make his move. If it was either one of the latter two, which was more than likely, Shikamaru would have to think fast.

There was no sense setting a trap – the enemy would see them working on it, and a high-level nin wouldn't fall for any regular old standard shinobi trap, either.

Who would make a noticeable diversion? Hiro's beetles.

No, Hiro was their best defensive shinobi – he'd stay close to Watanabe and protect him from any direct attacks.

Shizune was their best bet for a diversion then. No, Shizune was their medical nin; sending her in first would be contradictory to all basic battle formations.

Kana was a genjutsu type, not brazen enough for a diversion, and Naoki's ninjutsu was too weak to prove a threat. Besides, his Lightning chakra by definition would not do well against a Wind style attacks.

Shikamaru was, as usual, the one who, while the enemy was preoccupied fending off another attack, would be coming in from behind to trap them in his Shadow Possession jutsu - he couldn't play both roles.

_Pick one, Shikamaru. Someone has to be the diversion._

Shizune it was, then.

"Shizune-san, are you alright to go in first?" he asked.

"I haven't been the front line for a while." She answered with unexpected bloodthirstiness, "Whaddya want me to do?"

His plan would probably fail, but it was best to start out with something not too complicated until they knew more about the enemy's jutsu, so this was really just a test of sorts.

"Something big and flashy." He replied quietly, "Hold his attention." She nodded.

"On your signal."

Shikamaru trotted up to where Hiro, Kana, and Watanabe were.

"Don't react to what I'm about to tell you." He spoke lowly and quickly, "But we've detected an enemy nin about three hundred yards behind us at five o'clock. Hiro, I want you to stay close to Watanabe-san and protect him. Shizune-san will be the diversion, then I will hold him in my Shadow Posession. Kana, once I've got him, trap him in a genjutsu, then Naoki will use his Lighning-style to knock the enemy out, but not enough to kill him – we'll be taking him back to the village for interrogation. Did you get that, Naoki?" Shikamaru asked without raising his voice or turning around.

"Yes." Came the reply, equally inconspicuous.  
>"Good. Now, you have to make sure and hit him after I've released my Shadow Possession but not before he reacts; timing is key. Remember, when I'm in Shadow Posession, whatever you do physically to him, I will also feel."<p>

"Yeah I got it."

"Now laugh like I've said something funny."

Kana giggled obediently and Hiro made a noise that might have passed for a chuckle. Watanabe did not.

"What now, Shikamaru-sensei?" Kana asked in a whisper.

"Now, we wait for him to make the first move. Shizune, make sure you're the first target."

"I need a bathroom break." Shizune announced loudly after a few minutes. Shikamaru nodded, catching on to her idea.

"Be quick about it."

Shizune headed for the woods like she really needed to pee. She could sense the enemy a few yards away.

A minute passed. Why wasn't he attacking?

Three minutes. Still nothing.

Holy shit.

He was waiting, wasn't he? He was waiting and watching, thinking she was going to pee.

Who did that bastard think he was?! Sick! _Sick!_

"I'm not going to do it." She said aloud, in the direction of the enemy's chakra, "Why don't we go on out in the road." Her tone did not allow for argument as she somersaulted backwards into the road, hoping to draw him out into a more open space where she could make a bigger diversion.

A jet of water burst out of the bushes and Shizune easily dodged it, sending one of her senbon in the direction the attack had come from. Presumably, it missed.

She knew what would draw him out. Leaping into the trees above his general area, she performed the proper handsigns and then blew a cloud of poison gas, hoping to flush him out into the open. He relented, and she got a good look at him for the first time.

He was, as Naoki had said, a big guy. His most prominent feature was his bright orange hair, which was pulled back into a short ponytail. Interestingly, his forehead protector was black, as if it had been scorched, but she thought she could make out the symbol of Iwakagure etched into it.

Were the Iwa nin trying to start a war with the Taki nin from the Land of Waterfalls? Or was this shinobi acting alone? Either way, it was her duty to make herself his main focal point while Shikamaru-kun snuck in from behind.

If she used the poison gas in a cloud, there was a chance that Shikamaru might get caught in it too, so that strategy was out. A barrage of senbon would do it, then.

Before Shizune could fire her senbon, she was caught up in a spray of rock-hard bullets of water – the Water Bullet Jutsu. She chided herself for her carelessness, as in studying his forehead-protector, she'd missed the handsigns he'd been making.

She answered the enemy's jutsu by shooting off her senbon using various methods and from all different angles, even spitting a few out of her mouth – she'd learned that technique from Genma.

"Wind Style," The man's voice was deep and gravelly, "Byakugan Rotation!"

_Wind Style Byakugan Rotation? _Now there was a jutsu that sounded familiar, but none of the Hyuga looked like that, and few Hyuga were even Wind Style users.

What was up with this Iwa nin?

**hnnn...any ideas as to what this dude's deal is? tell me what you think!**

**we decided that we would get a soda/**

**my favorite flavor, cherry red/**

**I sang my song to mister jimmy/**

**he said one word to me and that was 'dead'/**

**-oldsoul**


	8. Eclipse

**it was awesome writing this chapter! especially the ending! wait till u get to the ending #soexcited :D**

*****A Small Announcement*****

**oldsoul17 is now the proud owner of the cover image for this story.**

**it's byootyfull! ****I mean retarded XP. **** if you would like to see more of my art please visit my deviantart page: **

**anywayssss, enjoy chapter 8 and don't forget to review!**

"Wind Style, Byakugan Rotation!"

_What?!_ Shikamaru thought, alarmed. What kind of jutsu was that?

His question was answered when Shizune sent her volley of senbon racing towards the man.

His body began to spin, faster and faster until it was all a chakra-colored blur. The senbon closed in and made contact, only to bounce off, ricocheting in all directions. Shikamaru had to dodge several – he knew they'd be coated in Shizune's genjutsu-inducing poison. Only a scrape from one of those would be enough to make his head swim for a few minutes.

Now where had he seen this rotation jutsu before? It was obviously a Hyuga technique, denoted by the 'Byakugan' part. Hinata had a rotation jutsu but it wasn't quite the same as this one…

_Neji._

Nearly five years had passed since that boy's death, so how did this man have Neji's jutsu? And what was with this 'Wind Style' aspect of it? Was Wind chakra necessary for a non-Hyuga to perform the jutsu? Did it change the jutsu at all? To what extent did this guy's Hyuga-ness go?

_Focus, Shikamaru. Act now, ask questions later._

He looked back at the enemy as he came out of his rotation.

_Holy Hell._

His eyes had now gained that trademark Byakugan look; glassy and vacant, causing the veins and arteries to bulge around his temples.

"Water style, Great Wave Jutsu!"

Shikamaru's head whipped around to shout as his students, "Quick, get into a tree! Don't let yourself get swept up in that wave!"

All three nodded and obeyed, Hiro pushing Watanabe up ahead of him.

Had the man noticed him yet? Shikamaru wondered. Probably.

The Byakugan. Did it even have a weakness?

Of course it did – Shikamaru was a firm believer in the idea that every jutsu had its weakness. If he remembered correctly, his first mission as a squad leader had involved Neji in the hospital. What had he relayed about his battle…?

A light bulb idea– yes! That was it!

He hurried over to Shizune, who was busy choosing which senbon she would throw next. She listened as he whispered his plan to her, and nodded, saying it was worth trying.

"You have to have perfect aim." He warned her. She shot him an irritated look.

"I didn't get to jonin off of bad marksmanship, you know. I've been using senbon since I became Tsunade-sama's apprentice."

"Of course not." He grinned, heading off to his next communications target.

"Naoki. There's been a change of plans. I need you to be the diversion."

"Will my jutsu be enough?" he asked in a whisper, eyes locked on the enemy.

"It'll be perfect." Shikamaru assured him, "I only need you to do it for a few seconds. But whatever you do, _don't_ let him go into that rotation mode again."

"Understood."

"Good. Go as soon as the water's receded."

Back with Shizune, Shikamaru performed the jutsu.

It was a strange feeling to be a senbon. He retained his senses, but his vision was a narrow pinpoint of light at the end of the senbon. He would be relying on touch and hearing alone now. Shizune picked him up and placed him away from her ordinary senbon, so as not to confuse him with one of the others.

A rushing sound signaled the end of the Great Wave jutsu. That was a taxing jutsu – it was bound to have taken something out of their Iwa friend.

A soft thump, like two feet hitting the road, followed by the snapping crackle of electricity.

Lightning Style, Lightning Fang!"

It was a good jutsu to go for, consisting of a fang made of electricity. Naoki could perform it to an intermediate degree and it didn't inflict a whole lot of damage, but it was a showy jutsu and was an excellent choice for a diversion.

Shizune picked Shikamaru up and he could feel the blood moving through her fingers. Then there was a faint _whoosh_ and now he was hurtling through the air, wind whistling beside him.

By the time the Iwa nin turned, it was too late; Shikamaru had already undone the transformation and was back in his regular body, two feet away from the intended target of the senbon – the Byakugan's blind spot.

The Iwa nin struggled against Shikamaru's Shadow Possession, writhing inside like a snake, but unable to make his body follow along.

"Kana!" Shikamaru called. His student dropped from the sky and quickly cast her genjutsu. Once it took effect, the man ceased his squirming and went slack.

"Naoki!"

The kid took his turn as Shikamaru released his Shadow Posession.

"Lightning Style, Twin Dragons!"

It was Naoki's best ninjutsu technique – two lightning dragons that crashed down onto their victim with painful force. If executed skillfully, it could prove deadly. Fortunately, Naoki's still needed a little work and his maximum impact force at the moment was only enough to cause unconsciousness.

Charred and slightly smoking from his singed hair, the man fell to the ground as Shizune landed beside them. Hiro and Watanabe were also walking up to admire the spectacle.

"Nice work, all of you." Shikamaru commended proudly, shooting a sly look of triumph at Shizune. See? No one was dead!

Apparently, this state of the living they were all in was not going to satisfy Shizune.

"Too easy." She told him quietly.

She was right.

"Very neatly done, Konoha nin."

Shikamaru whipped around. Where had _she_ come from?!

She had long, black hair that was collected in two Chinese buns, and pale blue eyes. Her kimono was black and red, with a blackened Kiri forehead-protector in place of an obi.

"It seems," The woman continued, "I will have to find better hosts if I want to accomplish my goals."

Her voice was slippery, like an eel. Shikamaru suppressed the urge to shudder. This woman reminded him all too much of a man who had been the central focus point of the Fourth Great War.

But the big question was: _Why had nobody sensed her?_

Surely they hadn't been _that_ caught up in their victory so as to miss the arrival of an entirely new presence…had they?

"Who are you?!" Shizune recovered herself first, "What do you want here?!"

"There are a few things I'd like to pick up before I go…" the woman answered. She tapped her long purple nails against her chin thoughtfully, looking around at each of the six. Her gaze locked on Kana.

"I think…yes."

Whatever she was _yessing_ Kana about, it wasn't going to happen. Not on Shikamaru's watch. His shadow stretched and merged with hers. The desired effect was not forthcoming – she remained mobile as ever, still moving towards Kana.

"Don't waste any of your precious parlor tricks on me, _boy_!" her head snapped around so quickly that Shikamaru stepped back. Like a bird. An owl, or something.

Her strides were brusque as she neared the girl; Kana whipped out a kunai. Shikamaru could see she was paralyzed with fear – this lady creeped all of them out. But his resolve remained.

This particular creepy lady was not going to harm this particular girl on this particular day. Of this, he was convinced.

Shizune spit a senbon – it bounced off an invisible barrier. Hiro's beetles crawled out of his jacket. All of them dropped dead within a foot of the woman. Lighning Style met with the same fate. Obviously, ninjutsu wasn't working.

Five feet away. Four feet, three feet. Kana was going to die, he was sure of it.

_The king is the next generation of unborn shinobi. They are who we are here to keep safe. Protect my king, Shikamaru._

Protect the king, protect the king. No time to think only to act.

_I will protect the king!_

Two feet.

Like a lunar eclipse, Shikamaru saw Kana's feet, his feet, and the woman's feet all in a line. He saw the glint of silver metal, the razor-sharp blade that leered at him from within the folds of the woman's sleeve.

He felt the compression of his flak jacket as the dagger slid in, felt her arms tighten as she pressured the weapon onwards into the tougher fabric of muscle.

And then. And then he felt the pain.

**omg did u love it ****I know u did u don't have to tell me **

**-oldsoul**

**no more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue/**

**I could not foresee this thing happening to you/**

**if I look hard enough into the setting sun/**

**my love will laugh with me before the morning comes/**


End file.
